Picker bar for cotton picker



. Oct. 23, 1956 E. c. BOPF PICKER BAR FOR COTTON PICKER 7L FIG Filed May10, 1955 N// w z INVENTOR. E. C. BOPF United States Patent OfiiicePatented Oct. 23, less 2,767,542 PICKER BAR FOR CQTTON PICKER Edward C.Bopf, Des Moines, Iowa, assignor to Deere Manufacturing Co., Dubuque,Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Application May 10, 1955, Serial No. 507,2197 Claims. (Cl. 56-47) This invention relates to a cotton ticularly to animproved picker bar, a picker bar comprising one of several like barsthat carry shafts for driving the cotton picker spindles.

A conventional cotton picker of the type in which the present inventionfinds its greatest utility comprises a cotton picker drum made up of aplurality of upright bars or columns, each of which is hollow andcontains an upright driving shaft for driving :a plurality of generallyhorizontally projecting cotton picker spindles. The nature of theconstruction is such that the picker bars are individually oscillatedwhile the spindles individually rotate. For this reason, the piclcer baris of relatively complicated construction which in turn means that themanufacture and production of the bars is in most oases quite expensive.It has been found, however, that there is a certain uniformity in therequirements of a picker bar, :at least as concerns the shaft-containingand spindlecontaining characteristics thereof, that a major portionthereof may be made as a non-ferrous extrusion. But economies realizedin this respect have not theretofiore been capable of exploitation,because of the difi'iculty of welding the non-ferrous element to theassociated ferrous members. According to the present invention, thesedifficulties are eliminated and extremely economical picker brarconstruction ferrous and non-ferrous parts in which the ferrous portsare rigidly united as by welding and the interconnection between theferrous and non-ferrous parts is accomplished by removable securingmeans. A feature of the novelty in this respect is the utilization ofthe picker bar in coaxial or end tQ-end relationship with a head member,the picker bar comprising an elongated shaftwreceiving portion and aridge or otherwise 'alined plurality of spindlerecei-ving portionsradially offset from the shaft-receiving portion, so that the ridgeserves as a key with which oo-operate the legs of a U sh-aped mountingmember that has its bight embracing the :shaftcontaining portion of theelement. In this manner, the head can be welded to the Ll-shaped memberand the U-shaped member will embrace the element so that the legs of themember may be readily secured to the spindle-receiving ridge.

The foregoing and other i esirable features inherent in and encompassedby the invention will become apparent as a preferred embodiment of theinvention is disclosed in detail in the ensuing specification andaccompanying sheet of drawings, the several figures of which will bedescribed immediately below.

1 is on elevatio ial View, with parts broken away and shown in section,-s owing the relationship between the improved picker bar and itsmouiting in portions of a cotton picker drum.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the upper portion of the improvedpicker bar by itself.

Fig. 3 is :a transverse sectional view, on an scale, as seen along line3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view, on an enpiclcer and moreparenlarged derived by the novel utilization of r 2 larged scale,showing the upper portion of the assembled picker bar.

Those iamiliar with cotton pickers will recognize in Fig. 1 upper andlower picker drum portions 10 and 12, respectively, the upper portionhaving therein an upright bore 14 and the lower portion having anupright trunnion 16 by means of which a picker bar 18 is carried foroscillation about an upright axis. The general arrangement isconventional. However, according to the present invention, the pickerbar 18 comprises three basic components: an elongated picker bar element29, a picker bar head 22 and a mounting member 24. The element 20 itselfcomprises an elongated tubular shaft-receiving portion 26 with which isintegrally or otherwise rigidly united a plurality of spindlereceivi-ngportions 28, these spindle-receiving portions being in longitudinallalinement lengthwise of the portion 26. The arrangement is preferablysuch that the portions 28 comprise part of a lengthwise or alongitudlinal ridge 30. The picker bar is preferably formed as analuminum or otherwise non-ferrous extrusion having what may be termed akeyhole section (Fig. 3).

Each spindle-receiving portion 28 has therein a threaded bore 32 on anaxis substantially radial to the longitudinal axis of the shaftreceiving portion 26, and each bore 32 has threaded therein a spindlebearing 34 within which is journaled la picker spindle 36 ofconventional type. Each spindle has at its inner end a bevel pinion 38and these pinions are respectively in mesh with a plurality of bevelpin-ions, such as that shown at 4% in Fig. l, pinned or otherwisesecured to a driving shaft 42 that extends lengthwise of theshaft-receiving portion 26 of the picker bar 18. The shaft 42 projectsupwardly through the head 22 and has keyed thereto a spur pinion 44 thatis in con stant mesh with a driving gear 46, all of which isconventional, as is a crank 43 secured to the I cad 22 and following acam track 50 for efi'ecting oscillation of the picker bar, all as shownin ithe U. S. patent to Paradise 2,660,852.

Because of the journaling of the head 22 in the upper drum portion 10 at14, it is desirable that the head 22 be of ferrous material, or othermaterial suitable for the bearing characteristics noted. Althoughsimilar characteristics are required at the trunnion 16, these may bereadily accomplished by the use of appropriate inserts. In any event,whether or not the difference between the element 20 and the head 22 isthe difference between ferrous and non-ferrous materials, the type ofconnection between the two is novel. This connection will be describ edimmediately below.

The upper terminal end of the picker bar element 20 is designated by thenumeral 52, and the lower or elementpronim ate end of the head 22 bearsthe numeral 54. These two ends are iabu tted so that the head andelement are in coaxial end-to-iend relationship, the hollow head 22being coaxial with the tubular shaft-receiving portion 26 of theelement. As best shown in Fig. 3, the mounting member 24 is of U-shapedsection, having .a bight portion 56 and a pair of legs 58. The member 24is rigidly secured to the end 54 of the head 22 as an elongation thereofand is of such length as to externally overlap the head-proximate upperportion of the picker bar element 20, the b ight 56 of the member 24embracing the external surface of the proximate shaft-receiving portion26 and the legs 58 extending respectively alongside opposite sides ofthe spindle-receiving ridge 39, which sides of the ridge areappropriately flat at 6! so that there is a face-to-face contact. Unionbetween the head 22 land the member 24 is accomplished by welding, asshown at '62. Since the legs 53 of the mounting member 24 contact theflat sides 60 of the ridge 30, there is established in efiiect a keythat prevents relative rotation between the element 20 and the rigidlyunited head 22 and member 24. Axial separation between the twocomponents just described is prevented or assembly is accomplishedby theprovision of releasable securing means, here illustrated ias comprisinga plurality of flush headed screws 64 passed through the legs 56 andinto appropriate tapped bores 66 in the ridge 30. a

As already outlined, the, novel construction here disclosed permits notonly considerable economy in manufacture but enables the use ofmaterials particularly well adapted for the special functions, that ofthe picker bar parts. Not only hat, the ready assembly and disassemblybetween the element 20 and the united member 24 and head 22 permitsready replacement of either of the parts without requiring replacementof both. Still other features of the invention, not categoricallyenumerated herein, will occur to those versed in the art, as will manymodifications and alterations in the preferred embodiment of theinvention disclosed, all of which may be achieved without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A picker bar for a cotton picker, comprising: an elongated elementhaving lengthwise thereof a shaft-receiving tubular portion and aplurality of spindle-receiving portions alined lengthwise of the elementand projectin g uniformly radially from the [tubular portion; a head incoaxial end-to-end relationship to one end of the tubular portion; amounting member of U-shaped section rigidly secured to theelementproxirnate end of the head as an elongation thereof andexternally overlapping part of said element proximate to the head, said,U-shaped member having the bright thereof embracing the shaftreceivingportion of said pant of said element proximate to the head and the legsthereof lying respectively alongside and contacting opposite sides ofthespindlerece'iving portions of said part; and removable securing meanspassed through said legs and into the spindle-receiving portions of saidpart.

2. The invention defined in claim 1, in which: the spindle-receivingportions form a longitudinal ridge running lengthwise of and integralwith the shaft-receiving portion and said ridge has opposite flat sidesgenerally parallel to a radius of the shaft-receiving portio 3. Theinvention defined in claim 1, in which: the ele ment is of non-ferrousmetal; and the head and mounting member are of ferrous metal and are ofintegral welded construction.

4. A picker bar for a cotton picker, comprising: an elongated elementhaving lengthwise thereof a shaft-receiving tubular portion and aplurality of spindlereceiving portions alined lengthwise of the elementand projecting uniformly radially from the tubular portion; a head incoaxial end-to-end relationship to one end of the tubular portion; amounting member of Ushaped section rigidly secured to theelement-proximate end of the head as an elongation thereof andexternally overlapping a part of said element proximate to the head,said U-shaped memher having the bight thereof embracing theshaft-receiving portion of the part of said element proximate to thehead and the legs thereof lying respectively alongside and contactingopposite sides of the spindle-receiving portions of said part so as toprevent relative rotation between the element and the head about thelengthwise axis thereof", and removable securing means interconnectingthe member and element for holding the two against lengthwiseseparation.

5. The invention defined in claim 4, in which: the spindle-receivingportions are integral on a longitudinal ridge running 'lengthw-ise ofthe shaft-receiving portion and said ridge has opposite fiat sidesgenerally parallel to a radius of the shaft receiving portion.

6. A picker bar for a cotton picker, comprising: an elongated elementhaving lengthwise thereof a shaft-receiving tubular portion [and aplurality of spindle-receiving portions alined lengthwise of the elementand projecting uniformly radially from the tubular portion; a head incoaxial end-Ito-end relationship to one end of the tubular portion; amounting member rigidly secured to the element-proximate end of the headand projecting therefrom past the junction of the head and element so asto overlap part of said element proximate to the head; and re movablesecuring means connecting the member and element.

7. The invention defined .in claim 6, in which: the spindle-receivingportions are integral on a longitudinal ridge running lengthwise of theshaft-receiving portion and said ridge has opposite fiat sides genenallyparallel to a radius of the shaft receiving portion, and said member hasportions spaced apart to lie at and contact opposite sides of saidridge.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,533,631 Rust Dec. 12, 1950 2,668,409 Bramblett Feb. 9, 1954 2,721,436Hubbard Oct. 25, 1955

